The Dackel Princess

I picked up the latest copy of a magazine that I really enjoy. In fact, I subscribe to it because I like the news and recipes and fashion. As a subscriber, I get a reduced price and a few bonuses along the way.

Anyway, I picked up the latest issue and started to turn page after page after page. There were many nice recipes, new fashions, and of course advertisements. Then I hit page 52 (which is off because I am age 52!) and my world was shattered. The column was about what to eat in your 20’s, 30’s, & 40’s.

In your twenties you should be eating eggs, vegetables, chicken, coconut water,Greek yogurt, and quinoa. In your thirties you should be eating oatmeal, nuts, tuna, edamame, avocado and lentils. In your forties you should be eating ginger, cherries, salmon, kale, extra virgin olive oil and green tea.

But I’m in my fifties! What am I supposed to be eating? Or is it that after you turn fifty it’s all over anyway, so you might as well give up!

I thought about his for a while, and actually started to feel bad, then my phone rang and it was a man doing a survey for our local electric company. Now I love my electric company, they do a good job, (the rates are bad, but heck they are bad every where!) and they’re very friendly when I need them. So I answered his survey. At the very end he asked how old I was. Now what on earth does my age have to do with electrical current?

You know, my age never bothered me until I read the article, but today I was actually feeling old. I told him how old I was and why I was feeling bad about it. He laughed and then said, “It’s okay, that’s young! I’m 63!”

After that I felt better and went about my day.

Of course I still worry about what I should be eating to be the best me in my 50’s!

And…here we go!

1. I hold a basket full of vegetables and fruit, and I am happy!

2. Janet and my Hubby are someone I like to travel with because she drives and I really do not like driving and Hubby and I have always traveled well together.

3. That day, that long ago day, is one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

4. So many reunions and family times this year. How nice!

5. Trust in the Lord.

6. A shot in the dark.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to making my last batch of cherry jam, tomorrow my plans include the dreaded ironing and Sunday, I want to prepare the cucumbers to make pickles with.

1. How has your hometown changed since you were a kid? What has changed most about the neighborhood you grew up in?

I was born and raised in Falmouth, Massachusetts. In the winter, when I was growing up, it was a sleepy series of villages where everyone knew everyone else. Now the year round population is much larger.

Of course the summer season has always been big because we are a beach community. I’ll be going back in three weeks for my High School reunion.

2. What song makes you laugh?

Obla Di Obla Da by the Beatles.

3. Are you a fan of Harry Potter? Read the books? Seen any/all of the movies? Will you be standing in line somewhere close to midnight later this week? For those of you playing along today who live outside the US or UK is Harry Potter a phenomenon in your part of the world?

Love Harry Potter books and I have read them all. I have seen all but the last two movies, but I do plan to.

4. If the truth hurts, will you tell a lie? Are we better off as a society in a world that allows no form of deception whatsoever?

I do not believe in telling someone the truth if it will hurt them. A little white lie never hurt anyone. However, I do believe that overall, we should strive for being honest.

5. What is your favorite ‘sauteed in garlic and butter’ food? Or garlic and olive oil if that makes you feel better.

A Vidalia onion, fresh basil, sea salt, summer squash, zucchini and portobello mushrooms. Oh Yum!

6. Attending any reunions this summer/year? High school? family? Other? Do these events stir up excitement or dread?

High School. In August on Cape Cod! I am so excited about this! Many of these men and women I have not seen since we graduated!

I just attended a family Reunion with my cousins and that was fabulous!

7. Lilac, hydrangea, peony…pick one.

That’s easy…LILAC!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Hubby and I were watering the garden yesterday and we were noting how splendidly the garden has done. I explained that I have talked to my plants since I planted the seeds and he actually laughed at me. “No”, he said, “It’s because I fertilized the soil and plants more often”! “No”, I said, “It’s because I spoke lovingly to them, and told them to grow and thrive!” Well you can imagine, this went on for a long time. Finally I knew that Hubby would never be convinced, so I let it go. After all…..we all know it’s because I spoke lovingly to them, that they all have grown and produced so well!

This weekend was wildly crazy and I will write all about it in the morning, but for now I will leave you with this picture of me with my three cousins! We had such a great time together yesterday and I really think we should do this more often.

When you get up from your beds, I shall be on my way to a family event in Massachusetts. It requires me to drive 100 miles south to my cousin’s church and then to her house.

I must get up at the horrible hour of 6AM (I’m not a morning person!), dress, do my hair and make-up and get out the door by 6:30 at the latest.

I plan to make myself a Weight Watchers peanut butter and jelly sandwich to eat in the car, and I will bring with me some coffee, and some lemonade, but I will try not to drink a lot, as certain parts of my body aren’t as young as they once were!

I plan to take a lot of pictures, and I will deliver a full report on Monday when I recap the weekend.

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I’ve really been working the garden this year, and I have to say, it’s showing the tender loving care I have been giving it.

I started by talking to my seeds, even before they sprouted. Then once they did sprout, I talked to them every day while they grew. Once I planted them in the big garden, I talked to the whole garden, praising it’s ability to grow.

Yes, these are well loved plants!

Since getting my sinus infection I have been so tired. I’ve been fighting it now for several weeks and part of me still feels like the sinus infection is winning. I want to sleep more, want to sit cuddled with my dackels more and have no real taste for food.

Friday morning, after breakfast, Hubby suggested that we go shopping. We needed things like, bread, milks, eggs, well you get the idea. So I dressed myself, watered the garden while Hubby got ready, and we left the house at 10:30.

We went to the dry cleaner and did the paper work to have their insurance buy Hubby a new pair of trousers. They LOST his pants! Then we went to the post office, getting our mail, and by then it was close to midday, so we went to Hubby’s favorite Chinese restaurant. I put the things on my plate I usually eat, but it just didn’t taste right. So I didn’t eat too much, mostly fruit.

We visited three stores and shopped like crazy in the crowed stores, gathering all we will need for the next ten days. Then we drove back home, with me nearly falling asleep in the passenger seat.

After getting it all put away, I sat down at my neighbors to visit with them. Then I came home and started our dinner. I could only eat half of it again. I put things away, did the dishes and just as I am thinking I can relax, Hubby comes in and tells me that it’s time to make cherry jam!

Oh no! This can take several hours to do, and I was so tired, but he insisted that we must do it, as tomorrow he must go to a fruit growers meeting and on Sunday I am going to see my cousin.

So we printed out the recipe, prepared the cherries (I have got to get a cherry pitter), and then set about cooking up the cherry jam. The recipe said it would take 35 minutes. It took us two hours!

However, the jam tastes great, and we used them up before they went bad. I have 5 half pints of lovely cherry jam, and that is definitely a win, win!

I sure hope I did this correctly!

We’re going to do things a bit differently this week. A blog friend of Janet’s, Jen, wrote a post called I Am From . . . A Meme Worth Doing, using this template (it’s worth checking out Fred’s and Jen’s writing to get an idea of what to do). I thought it would be fun to do the fill-ins on this template. We’ll do 5 this week and 5 next, plus the regular last fill-in we always do. Let me know what you think, have fun, and…here we go!

1. I am from Liquid Tide, from Downy fabric softener and Dawn dish soap.

2. I am from the Lakes the mountains and the forests.

3. I am from the Lilacs, the tomato plants, and the cherry trees.

4. I am from Sauer Braten and great cooks, from the Prussmann Family and the Stevens Family and the Daniel Family.

5. I am from the emotional ones and loving.

6. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to cook a great meal, tomorrow my plans include doing some shopping and Sunday, I want to have a great time visiting my cousins and sister!